Los Algodones, Mexico is a border town that’s economy is based entirely around dental tourism. It has a population of 5,000 and has 600 dentists.
It’s so funny the town is called “The Cottons”. I imagine the cotton balls dentists use, haha.
Thank you, I was going to mention that too. “Molar City”.
The propaganda is so bad that there are a non negligible amount of people that read this story and their first thought will be to blame this person for being a “traitor to America” for not supporting our economy by paying for overpriced healthcare, or because they don’t have a good enough job to provide insurance.
There are working class people out there with the boot so far down their throat they will get angry at anyone pointing to how ridiculous of a world we live in.
It’s like our entire culture in America is just filled with sunk cost fallacy and the false belief that as soon as we make things better that that will be right after THEY just became a billionaire.
Everyone is so tired and exhausted from overworking and getting nothing in return that the only dream they have is of being in the position of their boss one day and get to be the dickhead that fucks everyone else over.
We literally can’t even imagine very basic things that most of the world enjoys.
Millenials are destroying the American healthcare invdustry by dropping dead before they’d see a doctor. TRAITORS
It boggles the mind that anyone could defend our current medical system, let alone our dental system. Even with dental insurance, you’re lucky to get more than 50% covered for these type of procedures and there is an annual payout cap which even a root canal and crowns can hit. A single implants in the US will cost much more than this guy claims to have spent.
There are working class people out there with the boot so far down their throat they will get angry at anyone pointing to how ridiculous of a world we live in.
“You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it.”
Same old, same old it seems.
That’s why Mamdani style “sewer socialism” is so important right now for breaking people out of it. We start with showing the country that we can fill pots holes, provide childcare, and reduce grocery prices, they will break out of their matrix pretty quickly.
Americans aren’t use to having a government that actually functions. But, because their expectations are so low the bar for changing their minds is also very low. We just have to win power to make enough people believe it’s actually possible. And once that happens, well, we’ll be able to make changes nationally one way or another.
My dentist gave me a big estimate, and I said, “I’ll never be able to afford that,” and he said “Just go to Mexico, get it done for a quarter of the price.”
That’s roughly 23k MXN, which is also what some people here earn in an entire month. Just trying to clarify that while it’s certainly not as expensive as it is in the US compared to the average person’s salary, it’s still not as cheap for people who actually live here either
Not to undermine your point, dental services are still kinda expensive for regular people, but this is also Tijuana, a border city where stuff is more expensive.
And that dental clinic probably inflates their prices since they provably service a number of foreigners.
I’m aware, but if I started talking about that I would’ve ended with an entire wall of text, and I didn’t feel like doing that
Still, thanks for providing additional context
Sure, but 21,000 usd as he was quoted is closer to the average annual salary in America. So it’s still disgustingly more affordable for a local Mexican to afford their own dental care.
That’s helpful context. So all that for about 1 months salary in Mexico. Meanwhile the USA estimate was multiple months salary. Looks like about 4-5 months for the average American.
Walking into a hospital in America is a month of work for me before they even do anything and i make good money for an American.
plenty of people in the US live off that same amount
And plenty of Mexicans live with less than half that. My comment was never meant to be a competition to begin with
US minimum wage $7.25 x 160 hours = $1160.
I mean, if we’re going off of minimum wage, then the MX numbers are also incredibly lower.
Around 13k on the northern border states, around 10k the rest, both monthly. That’s roughly 750 and 550 USD respectively.
And that’s assuming the job is respecting the law.
Guess what, that’s also roughly a months salary for some people in the US too. Not only do we have shitty healthcare but we also have shit wages.
certainly not as expensive as it is in the US
I’m aware. This was never intended to be a post bashing Americans, but just to provide further context on the economy of the place oop went to get their dental stuff done
I’m aware that even tho that’s still expensive for Mexicans, it’s more expensive for Americans to stay there. I just didn’t vibe with the whole “guys it’s way cheaper in Mexico” undertone
Yeah that’s what I expected. Yes we’re being fleeced in America, but also low cost of living, lower wages, and cheaper education can all drastically reduce the price of dentistry
Had some leg problems and went to a specialist. Not an emergency, but it was recommended by my doctor.
The virtual call (yes I know) cost $400.
Then the scans cost $1800.
Finally, the procedure cost $7200.
Nearly $10k. And insurance only paid for 2/3 of it. The virtual call was a 30-min call where they repeat everything I answered on the form.
Years ago I worked out the math for a doctor to rent all his own equipment ( including MRI! ), pay for full time staff including accountants etc. and the money still didn’t add up.
If doctors actually were paid $1,000/hr for their time, I’d understand because at least they are doing the labor. But that’s not what is happening. Insurance companies are taking the profit.
This is by design. The massive amount of unpaid medical debt makes this necessary. We are all paying for the healthcare of people who can’t afford it PLUS the profits going to the insurance industry and the debt collectors. That is why it is so stupid that people refuse to do Medicare for All or something similar.
I have yet to meet anyone in healthcare that will admit those kinds of fees are wrong.
We’re not the product. We’re the cows getting milked dry, and once they have taken everything they can from us, we’re discarded without a second thought.
And these people will do it to every country if not stopped.
I got dental implants in Costa Rica. One of the best medical systems in the world and flying there and back, hotel for ~10 days, rental car, and the two implants was cheaper than one implant from the sketchiest dentist I could find in the USA
Now I need 2 more and I’m considering going back. Wonderful country but driving there is a nightmare
Add 5% on the bill for chauffeur treatment.
The exchange rate just gives you their “top tier” experience.
So…
Bit of a funny elephant here…
Hum…
When can we start using the same rhetoric towards Americans as they’re having towards Mexicans? Or the nationalists/fascists/racists have towards immigrants in general?
I mean, if we’re going to see an influx of Americans going to other countries to benefit of the things which are better outside of America… Isn’t that literally the whole argument anti-immigration people have?
I dunno. The irony kinda has me smiling like The Senate at an opera light show.
Oh the irony (and hypocrisy) is fucking thick, my guy.
My MAGA father-in-law wants to end abortion rights for all Americans in all cases. But when confronted by my wife that her and the rest of his 4 daughters might find their life in danger from an Ectopic pregnancy or other dangerous medical condition in which the only remedy is terminating a pregnancy, he calmly assured her that if they needed an abortion he’d fly them out of the country to get them one (but also the American Healthcare System is still the best in the world, btw). Meanwhile, he and those like him disparage those moving the US seeking opportunities and safety for their families instead of staying fixing their country that WE largely are responsible for destabilizing and putting into poverty.
And he doesn’t put stock in us being held responsible for the state of those nations as the things we did to them happened decades ago (for the most part). Also he doesn’t believe that Native Americans should have any claim to lands within the US or any sovereignty under US law. In unrelated matters, though, Isreal has a right to those lands because they were stolen from them thousands of years ago, and they can and should have a one state rule over the region and people there despite other people living there already, and also it is totally cool that they get put under a decades long blockade because those people voted a group into power that opposed their occupation, and they do not have a right to resist this blockade or occupation in an way with force.
If you are looking for consistent, thoughtful policy positions, I’m afraid the modern American Right has little to provide you.
he doesn’t believe that Native Americans should have any claim to lands within the US
Isreal […] should have a one state rule over the region and people there despite other people living there already
Unfortunately this is pretty consistent.
The Palestinian and Native American sovereignty rights, or lack-there-of is consistent. The claim to the lands stolen from them (the Isrealis) not so much.
It’s just ‘might makes right’ combined with ‘our guy won’ and a helping of Western imperialism. You don’t need to be a philosopher to see the underlying reasoning.
From what I’ve heard, you can see about the same thing in Ayn Rand’s lectures where she retroactively excused colonization of the Americas because “they didn’t do anything valuable with all the land”. You know, same Ayn Rand that wrote the bible of US corporatocracy. (Alas, I don’t think I have long enough time left to waste on Rand’s lectures myself.)
No one is stopping you.
Unfortunately the people who you should be bigoted against aren’t leaving.
The fact is that the people of the U.S. that are stuck here need help. Desperately, as the walls are closing in faster than they ever have.
It isn’t a healthcare system; it’s a health extortion racket, at this point.
Something to be aware of when it comes to healthcare in the US: the entire industry is a huge money-making machine. It’s not just the infamous insurance companies making a profit on people’s health or lack of. It’s pharmaceutical companies, medical supply companies, medical equipment companies, medical services companies (like software), and last but not least: medical professionals. Everyone making a profit at every level.
Take a look at this list of top 25 highest paid occupations in the US and weep. Summary: 23 of the 25 highest paid occupations are medical professionals. The only ones that are not are chief executives and airline pilots, and those two aren’t even in the top 10.
For the sake of another example, I know someone who was quoted $4,000 for some dental work in the US and went to their birth country to have the work done instead. The bill was $90. Granted, it was a dental training school so that probably made it extra cheap, but they said the quality of work was better than they were used to getting in the US. It’s literally mind-boggling.
This article mentions a couple of other factors that go into the price in the US that I had forgotten about: expensive medical / dental schools and medical malpractice insurance.
part of why they are so highly paid is that malpractice can go after almost all of their assets and medical school/residency enrollment slots are federally capped.
blame the government for not having anti trust lawsuits against the medical equipment and for having caps on how many people can become doctors per year.
Eh, I agree with most of what you said, except:
I don’t see how malpractice lawsuits would increase the pay of medical professionals.
I don’t think you can really blame the government for being toothless to fight the American Medical Association and the medical equipment lobby, as that’s a result of capitalism, the topic of this community.
Wait till people find out the technology and cost for health care in China.
My father will get his hearing and heart checked here, because in my birth country he has to wait 4 months to get an appointment and than likely another 3 months for the next step. Here we get everything done in one day including all scans, results, meeting with the specialist and possible medication.
Edit: link because medical tourism is becoming a real thing now in China. I can’t believe how ridiculous the costs are in the US. It’s a total scam.
https://chinaneighbor.com/guide/healthcare/medical-trip-to-china-overview/
And they are trying to bring that US system to Canada and the UK so maybe a dozen people or less can make billions.
They’re trying to bring it to all “western” countries. The US ideology is being pushed hard everywhere in order for US firms to come in and start monetising everything (among which, health, of course).
In Canada ambulatory services have been privatized for a long time. They are not nearly as expensive as American ambulances, but they will send you a bill.
I live in a country on which USians love to shit online, and had root canal procedures and fillings done for free. Not sure about implants, though.
USians shit on lots of countries, you’re going to have to narrow it down
Fuck them. Let 'em keep guessing.
They’ll never get it cuz they don’t know any countries. Source: am USian
Surprisingly, yall seem to learn a bit of geography every time you find another country to belittle. However, you’ll never do any damage that my homeland’s rich and deep folklore hasn’t already done, what with being familiar with all the issues from inside.
Sometimes, I think America loathe Mexico not because they are brown and poor, but because America is envious that a poor country have affordable healthcare than the supposedly richest country in the world.
I’m willing to bet the majority of Americans have no idea Mexico has affordable healthcare. Propaganda is a bitch
I’m surprised to hear that to be honest. I know many Americans go to Mexico for cheaper medical care.
Many do, it’s definitely a thing, but it’s far from most. A lot of people I know are scared to even go to Mexico.
That’s your entire economy after new markets gets ‘investment’.
